Door assembly



March 22, 1960 A. E. THORSON DOOR ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 10, 1953 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Alvin E. Tharson INVENTOR.

March 22, 1960 A. E. THORSON DOOR ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

Filed Dec. 10, 1953 Alvin E. 7' harson INVENTOR BY 34mm W n! BM March22, 1960 THQRSON 2,929,622

DOOR ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 10, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 7

Alvin E. Thorson INVENTOR.

United States Patent DOOR ASSEMBLY Alvin E. Thor-son, (Iorvallis, Mont.

Application December 10, 1953, Serial No. 397,300

1 Claim. @1. 253-48 This invention relates .generally to doorconstructions and pertains more particularly to asliding door assernbly.

A primary object of this invention is to provlde an improved form ofsliding door assembly which incorporates upper and lower track elementsand operating mechanism for normally urging a pair of sliding doorpanels to closed position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sliding doorconstruction in conformity with the foregoing object in which theconstruction of the track assemblies and the mechanism associatedtherewith taken in conjunction with the actuating mechanism forms a verycompact and effective assembly.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and.claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the improved door assembly inclo'sed position;

Figure 2 is an'enlarged perspective view of the door latching assembly;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the door track assemblyand corresponding portions of the door panel;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the door panels inopen position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged exploded perspective showing the upper trackconstruction;

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the upper trackassembly and associated portions ofthe door panel illustrating amodified form of the invention;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a modified form ofassembly; and

Figure '8'is aperspective-view of a modified form of securing hookassembly.

"Referring nowparticularly-to Figures 1 and 4, thereferencenumeralilllindicates a .wall, panel or the like in which anopening is provided and which it is desired to selectively open andclose. For this purpose, the upper and lower track assemblies indicatedgenerally by the reference characters 12 and 14 respectively are securedto the wall for 'guidably supporting the door panels 16 and 18 formovement between a closed position as illustrated in Figure 1 to an openposition as illustrated in Figure 4.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 5 wherein the construction ofthe upper track assembly is shown, it will be noted that this assemblyincorporates supporting mechanism generally in the configuration ofangle member having a vertical supporting plate portion 20 and ahorizontally extending flange 22 in the manner shown. Disposed atopposite ends of the assembly are the depending tubular socket members24 for receiving the opposite end of a track bar 26 for supporting thesame on the assembly 12. The end of the track bar may be provided withtransverse bores in which cotter pin mem- 23295322 Patented Mar. 22,1960 ice tal flange 22 is a combined support and pivot plate member 39which is apertured as at 32 adjacent its upper end and which is providedwith a tubular socket 34 at its lower edge, this socket supporting andreceiving the central portion of the track bar 26. The door panels 16and 18 are provided with tubular guide members 36 at their upper edgesand disposed medially thereof and it is to be noted that these guidemembers are received on the track bar for guiding the door panelstherealong with the path of movement of the door panels being limited bythe actuating mechanism hereinafter described.

As seen most clearly in Figure 3, the lower end of the door panels 16and 18 are provided with depending plate-like ear members 38 and thelower track assembly 14 will be seen to consist of a channel-shapedmember having a vertical web portion 40 and upper and lower horizontalflanges 41 and as respectively. The upper flan e is provided withelongated slots 43 at its opposite ends to receive ears 33 and guide thelower ends of the door panels. When the track assembly 14 is positionedon the structure with which it is to be associated, the free edges offlanges 41 and 42 are engaged against the wall It) such that thedepending brackets 4d on lower flange 42 are flush against the wall andthe extension 45 on the upper flange overlies a portion of the floor(not shown) adjacent the door opening. Both the brackets 44 and theextension 45 are provided with apertures as at 46 and 47 respectively,whereby suitable fastening elements may be utilized in securing thetrack assembly in place.

For maintaining the doors in latching closed position, the assemblyshown in Figure 2 is utilized and which comprises the generally S-shapedlatching hook 48 suitably mounted to a bracket 50 on one of the doorpanels while the opposite end of the hook engages within a keeper member52 on the other door panel. An actuating rod 54 is suitably secured asat 56 to the opposite end of the hook assembly and this rod extendsthrough a bracket 58 on the pane 18, the spring member 69 being providedfor normally urging the actuating rod and the hook to the door latchingposition. In this respect, it will be noted that a portion of theactuating rod is threaded as at 62 for receiving a nut and washer member64 and 66 formin a-n abutment for the spring 60 to vary the tensionthereof for effectively maintaining the latch hook in latching position.The free end of the actuating rod 54 is pro- -vided with an eye 63receiving a length of flexible material 72 by means of which thelatching mechanism is conveniently manipulated to an unlatchingposition.

The previously described pivot plate 30 receives a pivot bolt 79 throughits aperture 32 for .pivotally connecting a link member 72 thereto. Apair of arm members 74 and 76 are pivotally secured at one end to thedoor panels 16 and 13, respectively, the latter arm being pivotallysecured to an extension bracket member 78 so that the pivotal connectionbetween the arm 76 and the door panel 18 is above the top edge of thedoor panel. The other arm 74 is pivoted to the door panel 16 below thetop edge thereof shown most clearly in Figures 1 and 4. The oppositeends or" the arm members 74 and 76 are respectively connected to thelower end of the crank or link 72 and adjacent the upper ends thereof aswill be seen. A spring 86 is secured at one end to a mounting bracket 32on the link 72 and its opposite end is provided with a rod member 84having its end portion projecting through an L-shaped bracket ear 86 onthe horizontal flange 22 of the upper track assembly 12. The upper endof the link 72 is provided with a series of apertures receiving a linkmember 88 to which a flexible cable or cord 90 is attached, the cordpassing therefrom over the pulley panels in the open position as long asis desired. The bracket member 78 on the door panel 18 is provided witha series of apertures for selectively pivotally receiving thecorresponding end of the arm member 76 such as to properly locate thedoor panels in closed position, that is,

may be wrapped about securing bolts 94 to retain the do'or such thattheir adjacent edges will fully engage in the closed position. Thebracket member 82 on the link 72 as well as the bracket member 86 on thetrack assemblies are each provided with a series of apertures foradjustably receiving the opposite ends of the spring assemblies suchthat the returning force of this spring may be effectively varied toproduce the proper closing action desired.

It will be manifest that the above described assembly while extremelysimple in construction is at the same time very rugged, light in weight,dependable and other- I wise well suited and adapted for the purposesintended.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 6 wherein a modification ofthe invention is shown, it will be noted that the track assembly 96incorporates a vertical portion 93 and a horizontal flange 100 and thatthe upper edges of the door panels 102 and 104 are provided with T-shaped brackets 106, the free ends of the arms of which carry rollermembers 108 for movement along the upper surface of the flange 100. Anupward extension 110 on one of the brackets 106 provides the adjustablepivotal 'mounting of member 78, while the plate 112 forms the pivotsupport for member 72, in the same manner as previously described.

Reference is had more particularly now to Figure 7 wherein a modifiedform of operating assembly is shown. This assembly incorporates a strap114 pivotally secured to the upper end of link 72 as at 116. The strapis apertured at its opposite ends so that the o'ppositerends of a ropeor the like may be secured thereto; A single pulley 118 is attached tothe wall 10 at one side of the door and at the opposite side a pair ofpulleys 120 and 122 are provided. v A final pulley 124 is-secured to thewall at a suitable point below the pulleys 120 and 122. In this manner,the previously mentioned rope is disposed such I,

that one horizontal flight 126 thereof extends from one i end of strap114, over pulley 118, back past the limb 72, over pulley 1Z0'and thencedownwardly in the vertical flight 128 around pulley 124. The rope thenco'ntinues in another vertical flight 130 from pulley 124 to pulley 122and aroundthe latter in the horizontal flight 132 to its point ofattachment to the other end of strap 114. Thus, the door panels areopened by pulling down on the vertical flight 130.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 8, a slightly modified form oflatching mechanism is shown, the modification embodying a latch bar 134secured to the panel 16 by staple 136. The free end of the bar isslotted to receive a hasp 138 on hook 48, this hasp being apertured forthe reception of retaining pin 140.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will bereadily understood and furtherexplanation is believed to be unnecessary.However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur tothose skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, allsuitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A sliding door constmction comprising an upper track assembly includingan elongated mounting plate, a track bar carried by and disposed inspaced relation to said plate, a pair of door panels each having a guidemember secured at its upper edge and slidably receiving said track bar,a lower track guidably receiving lower edge portions of said panels, alink pivotally secured to said plate, a pair of arm members, an armmember being pivotally secured to each door panel and extendingtherefrom, said arm members being pivotally secured to said link withthe latter pivotal connections being disposed equally distant from thepivotal connection of said plate and said link, spring means terminallysecured to said link and said upper track assembly for normally swingingsaid link to door closing position, and means for manually swinging saidlink in opposition to said spring means secured to said link at theendthereof most remote from the pivotal connection between said plateand said link,

said door guide members comprising short tubular ele ments receivingsaid track bar, said lower track comprising a lower track assemblyincluding a mounting plate having a horizontal flange po'rtion, saidflange portion being longitudinally slotted, and guide ears secured to.the lower edges of said panels guidably received in the slots of saidflange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

